CPO Agenda welcomes article proposals from senior practitioners, business school academics, consultants and journalists. In the first instance, you should either send a short synopsis by e-mail to the editor or call him to discuss:
Steve Bagshaw
Editor, CPO Agenda
steve.bagshaw@redactive.co.uk
Tel +44 (0)20 7324 2747
1. TOPICS
Articles for CPO Agenda must be on subjects of direct relevance and interest to chief procurement officers, vicepresidents and directors of purchasing and supply management in larger organisations and have both international and cross-sector appeal. As well as functional-specific topics, we are particularly interested in articles that discuss business and management issues that have a bearing on procurement strategy and practice.
2. FOCUS
We look for articles that are:
-
Written by senior practitioners, or top-level consultants, business school academics and journalists
-
Objective and independent (ie, not seeking to sell a commercial product or service)
-
Insightful
-
Thought-provoking
-
Practical
-
Leading-edge (ie, containing innovative ideas)
3. STRUCTURE & STYLE
Every article should have a central question or theme, and this should be easily summarised in fewer than 25 words (eg, “To make strategic sourcing a core competence in your business, there are six performance levers you need to master”). It should follow a logical structure – with a brief introduction, main content and short conclusion – and set the subject in its wider context.
Articles need to be written in clear, simple English, free of waffle and clichés, and be easily digestible and intelligible to senior managers both inside and outside the procurement function. That means:
-
Avoiding jargon where possible; or explaining what essential technical expressions mean
-
Writing out acronyms in full the first time
-
Giving full job titles and organisations for people mentioned
4. CONTENT
The following help to make an article compelling reading:
-
Company examples – preferably named (otherwise anonymous, or very occasionally fictitious)
-
Anecdotes or personal experiences
-
Perceptive quotes
-
Practical tips and advice
"Sidebars" separate from the main text – short case studies, checklists, glossaries, etc – can draw readers in to a longer article. Diagrams and charts can also work well, provided they are relevant, easy to understand and help to crystallise or complement ideas contained in the article.
5. SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL
In the first instance, a short synopsis should be sent to the editor, Steve Bagshaw (steve.bagshaw@redactive.co.uk).
This should outline the subject/theme; structure and content, including key messages and likely case studies or other examples; author credentials; proposed word length (our feature articles are typically 2,300-4,500 words, or 4-8 pages in published format); and timescale for writing the article.
Steve Bagshaw, editor